1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains generally to garments for covering the portion of a wearer's body from the waist down, and more particularly to a hospital garment of wrap-around type, having overlapping front and rear panels which reversibly fasten together at the crotch, and which includes vertically oriented slits along the leg portions covered by overlapping flaps.
2. Description of the Background Art
Several types of garments are known which utilize reversible fastening means in the waist and crotch portions. These garments generally are employed as pants which can reversibly convert to skirt-type garments, or as infant garments such as diaper arrangements.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,106,125 discloses a convertible garment in which a skirt or dress garment is convertible into short pants by means of a concealed crotch panel with connecting means. U.S. Pat. No. 4,104,742 discloses a convertible garment which is interchangeable between pants and a skirt garment by means of a fastening hook and pile fabric fastener in the crotch portion. U.S. Pat. No. 2,825,906 discloses an infant's garment combining a panty with a skirt for baby girls, wherein a panty garment with side fastenings includes a pendant skin portion. U.S. Pat. No. 2,638,900 discloses a baby pants structure with overlapping reversibly attachable crotch portions. U.S. Pat. No. 2,548,660 discloses plastic pants for infants which includes overlapping reversibly attaching crotch parts which allow removal and changing of diapers. U.S. Pat. No. 2,343,480 discloses a combined and convertible skirt and bifurcated garment with a reversibly fastenable crotch element. U.S. Pat. No. 1,083,712 discloses wearing apparel with an appendage on a back portion which may be fastened to flies on a front portion. French No. 1,331,157 shows wrap around pants having a removable crotch strap and a pocket.
As can be seen therefore, a variety of garments with reversible waist and crotch fasteners for covering persons from the waist down have been previously developed. However, the aforementioned garments include deficiencies which make them unsuitable for use as modern hospital garments. For example, currently available garments generally have overlapping crotch flaps which do not easily allow passage of tubing related to patient treatment or wires and sensors related to monitoring of patients. Also, such garments do not include openings on the outside leg portions for insertion of tubes, wires or sensors from the side of the patient. Additionally, such garments do not allow facile access to the patient by physicians, nurses, or other health care personnel in the course of treating patients. Further, the garments described above are not easily placed on or removed from hospital patients with limited mobility, requiring substantial effort on the part of hospital personnel in changing garments on patients, and generally causing discomfort to the patients.
Thus, there is a need for a hospital garment with reversible waist and crotch fastening means which allows facile passage of tubing, wiring, sensors and the like through a fastenable crotch portion of the garment, as well as through the outer leg portions of the garment, so as to allow quick and easy access to the patient by health care personnel, and which can be quickly and easily placed on and removed from patients. The present invention satisfies these needs as well as others, and generally overcomes the deficiencies found in currently available garments.
The foregoing patents reflect the state of the art of which the applicant is aware and are tendered with the view toward discharging applicant's acknowledged duty of candor in disclosing information which may be pertinent in the examination of this application. It is respectfully stipulated, however, that none of these patents teach or render obvious, singly or when considered in combination, applicant's claimed invention.